Me, on Milnerton beach a couple of years ago 2012 marks a big year in my writing career... it may not look it, but many seeds have been sown. For one, I started this website and blog (albeit at the behest and encouragement of friends). I subsequently also joined Twitter... these may seem like small things, but for me and my trajectory as a writer/author, it is kind of essential elements, tools if you will, going forward. I also happened to trek through the Fish River Canyon along with a great group of people (read more about that by clicking on the Fish River Canyon tab in the sidebar). I also joined Joel Kanar's team as a film reviewer at Inthekan.net, then I became a member of the African Renaissance Foundation - accepting their mandate within a growing movement on this beautiful and troubled continent. I've made many new friends, both professional and social (Thanks to all of you, old and new), and am nearing the completion of a third (yes 3rd!) draft of my debut novel The Quiet Days (although this name is subject to change - once this draft is complete - I'm holding out though as I'm quite sentimental about it...) God has blessed me abundantly, though I know it is nothing compared to what awaits me in the coming year, as well as the responsibility which comes with it A Passion (albeit somewhat neglected this year) Progression by Bigup Productions - I recommend it It was released a few years ago, but watch it, if only just to see the legendary Chris Sharma send his Clark Mountain "impossible" superclimb project. Oh what the heck - just because I'm cool that way, here's a more detailed video of Sharma's heroic climb as featured on National Geographic.
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Wallpaper from cyberdyne-systems.fr article by Steven Benjamin (2012) When Terminator was released in the mid-eighties, it was hailed and would later prove to be a trend setting film, re-establishing the thought process of science fiction films. A key element in it's success, was the plausibility, or perceived plausibility of some of the events. It wasn’t that people thought “Robots from the future will send terminators back in time to kill off our future resistance fighter leaders, effectively winning the war before it begins”, but everyone recognized the distinct possibility that sometime in the future, if technology continued on the progressive path it was, and still is on, artificial intelligence and ‘robots’, could bite back eventually. In other words, it wasn’t that difficult to connect the proverbial dots, much like the thought provoking film ‘Children of Men’ – chronicling a near future wherein women are unable to give birth – an occurrence that has been noted and experienced in various areas for a variety of different reasons. So, how close are we to developing a system that mirrors that of the fictional ‘SkyNet’ or ‘Cyberdyne Systems’? The truth is, we’re not that far off… Tesla book cover. The first thing that might come to mind when you hear “Killer Robots”, is most likely Drones, aka UAV’s (Unmanned aerial vehicles), scout machines, drone boats etc. which are developed and used by several countries including the USA, Israel, China, Russia, Germany, et al. Basically very large remote controlled airplanes in military use. Nicola Tesla (the man/genius who gave us the AC motor, neon lights and the remote control, among many other inventions) spoke of unmanned aerial fleets as early as 1915, so the idea is anything but new. Killer Robots though, are something quite different. Whereas Drones always have a person operating it via satellite from some military base, ‘Killer Robots’ are autonomous – meaning there is little or no human involvement when the machine does inevitably pull the trigger. The Iron Dome, Israel’s missile defense system is one such machine/program which operates autonomously, ‘sensing’ incoming rocket fire and relaying messages to operators (human) who then take action. Many human and civil rights watches have led inquiries and protests of such weapon use, calling for greater care and conducting further intensive investigations, stating that in a few decades, the global military scene could be largely autonomous… And how safe would we all feel then? Here's a look at some, albeit crude looking, robots from DARPA - think of them as today's version of SkyNet... I suggest you Google DARPA on look for their videos on youtube, such as the Big Dog, humanoids and the Sand Flee (an small autonomous robots that can jump onto rooftops or scale fences)... Special Forces on tumblr This is simply natural progression. Military's have sought and trained the veritable perfect soldiers, legions of Special Forces, then they sought to create ideal weapons to kill with minimum risk to human life (on the side of the ones doing the killing anyway)… meaning the highly contested chess match of the world’s super powers can now make their moves and issue their action orders – to be carried out almost instantaneously… And that, without even the touch of a button, because ‘autonomous’ means the machines will pre-empt the decision, practically eliminating the human power game and guidance. Effectively this will not only redefine war, but it will redefine what constitutes an act of war, infringing on the rules of engagement, and removing much of the element of accountability in the inevitable transgression of the parameters of said war. - “If you have an autonomous robot then it’s going to make decisions who to kill, when to kill and where to kill them. The scary thing is that the reason this has to happen is because of mission complexity and also so that when there’s a problem with communications you can send a robot in with no communication and it will decide who to kill, and that is really worrying to me.” – Noel Sharkey (2008) – Prof. of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the University of Sheffield. Many, if not all of the world’s super powers have committed war crimes, including the very initial (catalyst) act of war itself – Vietnam, Iraq… yet they’ve gone unpunished and largely unnoticed by an uninformed or misinformed public. So how much can the powers-that-be get away with in the future… and what happens when that power is taken from them by the very things they created… It could be called the ‘Frankenstein complex’… Man, we’ve always been our own worst enemy. It’s not all doom and gloom though. Autonomous Robots have also been deployed in disaster relief efforts, and let’s not forget bomb disposal robots. DARPA (the USA’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is often associated with such projects. Many robots are developed with humble and often good intentions, but governments more often than not take those designs, concepts and prototypes and inevitably weaponize them. From humble beginnings, SkyNet was born… Welcome to the bizarre, and the creepy of modern robotics, and think to yourself; if this is what they publicise, what they let us know about, what don’t we know, and what the heck is already in use today? In any event, however crude these 'bots may look, give them 10/15 years... “We build but to tear down. Most of our work and resource is squandered. Our onward march is marked by devastation. Everywhere there is an appalling loss of time, effort and life. A cheerless view, but true.” - Nikola Tesla For a list of 10 inventions by Nikola Tesla, click here Amendment (20/12/2012): Skynet does exist... ... and by that very name too! It is in actual fact a series, or "family", of satellites, the first of which, Skynet 1 was launched in 1969 (the series, which was last updated, or shall I say the youngest addition was welcomed to the family just a few days ago with the launch of Skynet 5 - *report TBC) - predating the fictional Terminator version by a decade and a half. FYI, the Brits and NATO 'owns' the family... Of course we all know about satellites and the technology they possess - being able to look into your backyard, powerful enough to detect the color of your eyes etc... and that actual privacy is a remnant idea of the past - it is amazing however, just how powerless we are to this encroachment. This is the type of information most people know about without actually truly knowing about it, though it was highlighted for me quite recently, and quite plainly, by a highly qualified industry insider, opening my eyes a bit wider to the devious ways of 'Big Brother'. Predictions are widely set at 2060 - the time whereabouts the existence of a Technological singularity will emerge (a self aware AI supercomputer) - though I do have my own opinions and misgivings about this - beyond that date, experts believe the future to be, well, 'an unpredictable crapshoot' (my words)... In man's continuous attempts to create an independent artificially intelligent entity, I keep asking myself "Why? For what purpose?" and "to what end?" Vertigo Comics (the adult comic section of DC Comics) have been given the rights for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo graphic novel series. So you've read the books, or perhaps braved the films (either versions), hence, you may want to give this a look. Personally I would just be interested in the artistic element, appreciating the considerable talents of the illustrators... - Vertigo Comics (link HERE): other titles include Sandman, V for Vendetta, as well as some interesting variations on old favorites like Superman and Batman. A few notes on Stieg Larsson
Ukraine, a country which has intrigued me to no end… and it was they who were the primary target of Soviet propaganda since they were the biggest country, the biggest population outside of Russian territory to have to submit to the Soviet Union. Because of this fact, the USSR rightly saw them as the biggest threat and as such, tried to rob the people of their identity. For years Ukrainian art and Literature were destroyed in an attempt to wipe out their heritage… Thankfully, the Ukraine, through all its problems, today stands on its own two feet. It’s an enigmatic country much like its former northern rulers, and similarly with great potential, great mystery, deep pain as well as overwhelming beauty. For a long time it had been hidden in shadow, behind an iron curtain, under the Soviet fist and within its own insecurities. To the north and central region lies a very physical scar on the country, a very real stain if you will. Over a quarter of a century on from that day in April in 1986 and a large patch of land still lies predominantly vacant, save a few citizens on the outskirts who have no alternative but to stay and grind out a dangerous living. The nuclear effects of Chernobyl will live on for many more generations. Experts estimate that it will be some 20 000 years before the area at the core of the disaster will recover, to be liveable again… Deep within that desolate region known as the ‘Zone of alienation’ is the ghost city of Prypyat… - One commentator even went so far as to call it a Soviet Union time capsule. A year or two ago the Ukraine opened up sections of the area to tourists to learn about (and from) the disaster. From these images it’s easy to see why it spawned a Hollywood horror film (Chernobyl Diaries - click for the trailer). Sad though that LA got the rights for this film – if they’d wanted it done properly, it should have been placed in European hands, perhaps even a Ukraine/Russia collaboration (that would have been scary on so many levels, whilst also doing the story more justice). Prypyat, before '86: Sources: www.buzzfeed.com - 50 pictures of Chernobyl... www.thehuffingtonpost.com - Touring Chernobyl www.villageofjoy.com/chernobyl-today-a-creepy-story-told-in-pictures/ From his Facebook page - Daniel sporting a wet mullet. ... I am, however, a firm believer that some of the best people are. (Artist Feature - sort of - Guest post by Judith Benjamin) Two firsts for me here: 1) seeing Daniel Bedingfield live and in concert and, 2) attending a Kirstenbosch Summer Concert. I attended the carols by candlelight once and nearly burnt the place down (who decided that one should place a lit candle in a combustible brown paper bag anyway?). Daniel Bedingfield is supremely talented. His music would, I suppose, be classified in the pop section however, I believe that to be a great disservice to the artist he is. I’ve been a fan for many years owning both his albums (I bought them) and downloading his latest EP (direct off his site www.danielbedingfield.com - he gave it away). I was thus slightly disappointed that he did not offer up a few more tracks from the 23 on the CD’s. I believe there were only 3 and not one was ‘Wrap my words around you’. That said, I don’t blame him for not performing this track as it’s rather intimate (IMO) and would probably be better suited to a smaller and more appropriate room. I got the sense that Daniel (I’m going to forgo using his surname any further as its lengthy typing) was treating himself as a brand new artist, to a certain extent. It has been 8 years since ‘Second First Impressions’ and that time-lapse has seen his sister, the delightful Natasha, rise to stardom slightly eclipsing her brother (thus some may know Daniel as Natasha’s brother but I am one who knows Natasha as Daniel’s sister). He alluded to this during the concert by implying that we (the audience) just wanted her autograph and then he sang one of her songs - funny guy. But I digress. Back to the concert: The band was made up of SA natives, thus we were supporting our own and they did a stellar job. The audience was treated to a great deal of reggaesque sounds which I believe may have surprised some but as I pointed out to my sister, you can hear it in his CD’s. We were also treated to his beat boxing and beat making skills, which was a musical delight. Daniel is a very personable artist who enjoys connecting with his audience. This he does by begging for beer, complementing audience members who’ve piqued his interest, getting down from the stage and singing directly to the audience by weaving about through them and by being a fun picture taker. His cheeks must be in pain from all the smiling. Sadly, despite him walking past me numerous times, I have no picture with the man himself, only of him. All in all, I had a sublime time. Daniel is definitely worth seeing live. Testament to this is the fact that the day after seeing the show, I listened to all his songs again, looked at the short videos we took at the show and agreed with my sister that we wanted to go again. He’s a wonderful character and a truly talented artist with amazing vocal range and wonderfully lyrical songs, which we do take to heart. Also, due to his diverse musical style range, there’s a song in there for all tastes. To end off: an amusing moment which took place pre-show. When I took my grassy seat, I looked up and there he was looking at the audience from the stage ‘wings’. I immediately noted the sighting to my sister and friends who all looked about asking “where?” Daniel then proceeded to come down from the stage and wonder through the crowds to meet, greet and connect. It took a moment but people cottoned on, with a chap next to us cheerfully piping up “it’s DAVID Bedingfield!” Daniel, I beseech you, not to disappear again or allow yourself to be silenced for such a long period, and please come back to Cape Town and SA because I … er … we love you too. Thanks for the show. p.s. Check out his music video for ‘Secret Fear’ on YouTube. Be warned, it strictly 18+ and NSFW. For concert streaming: www.skyroomlive.com Kirstenbosch Summer Concert Series tickets and lineup info: www.danielbedingfield.com by Judith Benjamin Concert date: 25 November 2012 |
[Banner illustration by Joel Kanar]
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